Many students, coaches, and fans of college basketball have commented on the somber start to this year’s season. COVID-19 continues to rage in the US and multiple games are being canceled daily.
Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner found a creative way for his team to express their frustration with the pandemic: the Covid piñata.
A lot of thought clearly went into the creation of this party accessory, which closely resembled a strain of the virus.
The team has been unable to honor their usual tradition of taking gas station trips to celebrate road wins, as travel restrictions have confined them to their locker room.
“Can’t go to gas stations, right, so I did something different here,” Pastner said in the video as he unveiled the Covid piñata.
#RoadKill = Gas Station ⛽️ 🍭
Even if we have to bring the gas station to us @AndyDemetra 2020 right?? pic.twitter.com/ngsCvnqsYc
— Georgia Tech Basketball (@GTMBB) December 10, 2020
“So Khalid, come here, you’re gonna take the ball, and you’re gonna smash it right here, see,” Pastner continued, speaking to Khalid Moore, who scored 11 points off the bench in the win. After a few throws to the floor, the piñata smashed open near Jose Alvarado, who scored a team-high 24 points.
In lieu of continuing their tradition of making a gas station trip to celebrate road wins, @GTJoshPastner told us in our postgame interview that the team smashed a coronavirus-shaped piñata in the locker room. Yes they exist. Candy and snacks spilled out. Welcome to 2020.
— Andy Demetra 😷+🗳 (@AndyDemetra) December 10, 2020
The Georgia Yellow Jackets went on to beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers 75-64, to improve to 2-2 on the season.
Georgia Tech’s Wild Season
The piñata turned out to be the perfect outlet for a thrilling weekend. The Yellow Jackets started the season with losses to Georgia State and Mercer but pulled through with a win against Kentucky at home on Sunday. Another win against Nebraska erased a six-point deficit midway through the second half for the win in the ACC Big Ten Challenge.
Many college basketball fans have long commented on Pastner’s strange yet endearing behavior, and writer Mike Rutherford from the Card Chronicle once published a quiz that challenged users to identify quotes Pastner said versus quotes from Michael Scott of sitcom The Office. His unconventional approach to honoring the Yellow Jacket’s gas station tradition definitely kept morale high.